We have affiliate relationships where we are paid a commission on sales through some of our links. Also, Casper provided financial support to allow our company to acquire Sleepopolis. See our disclosures.

Best Mattress for Back Pain

Shopping for the best mattress for back pain can be a tough process, especially if you’re not quite sure what to look for. With so many options out there, it can be overwhelming and confusing to find the perfect mattress that helps prevent nagging lower or upper back pain.

So what matters most in a mattress? In this guide, I’m going to present my personal top picks for mattresses that could be good fits for users experiencing back pain. I want to note that the information below is comprised of my opinions, reflecting my own preferences and biases, so use it as a starting point. I’ve learned that a good mattress can help reduce pain in some users, but it’s not a medical treatment; if chronic back pain is a problem for you, it’s certainly best to consult with your healthcare professional.

Below that, toward the bottom of this article, I break down the parts of the mattress that are important to provide proper support and comfort for the specific needs of back sleepers and those who experience lower back pain and other back problems.

And make sure to check out our full mattress review series to find the best models for all types of sleepers.

TOP 8 MATTRESSES FOR BACK PAIN

Like any other top picks on this site, these mattress picks are reflective of my own personal preferences – so please just use them as a starting point! I’ve broken down my picks based on criteria and questions I get from readers who experience back pain. Now on my top 10 memory foam mattresses for a variety of sleepers:

BEST MATTRESSES FOR BACK PAIN – TOP CHOICES DETAILED

Below I have listed my favorite mattresses for back pain based on different factors and criteria, as well as my personal experiences and thoughts. I’ll continue to update this list as I test and review new mattresses.

Zoned Support — Casper Mattress

The Casper Mattress (front view)

The Casper Mattressfeatures a medium firm feel, which many people prefer for supporting their back while sleeping. Casper’s signature mattress now features Zoned Support Technology. This means its foam is actually firmer in certain parts of the mattress where the body tends to apply more pressure (particularly under the hips, while the mattress is softer under the shoulders). This “zoning” treats the hips and shoulders differently, promoting a more natural spinal alignment for the sleeper.

Spine Alignment — Helix Mattress

Helix Queen Size Mattress

The Helix Mattressis all about customization, and each mattress is custom-made to the customer’s preference. Factors like Feel, Support, and Point Elasticity are taken into account when you customize a Helix Mattress, and this helps ensure the sleeper gets a firmness level that works well with their body and preferences. This customization, along with Helix’s use of foam layers and micro coils, results in a mattress that can help keep the spine aligned in your preferred sleeping position.

Pressure Relief — Purple Mattress

Close up of the Purple hyper-elastic polymer grid

The Purple Mattressfeatures a top layer of hyper elastic polymer, meaning it has a fast response time. The mattress reacts quickly to movement and all sleeping positions. This can be beneficial to those with back pain because they don’t have to wait for the mattress to contour to their body and positioning. Purple is also well known for its pressure relieving abilities. One thing to note is that heavier sleepers will feel the pressure relief of the Purple Mattress easily, while lighter sleepers may experience the polymer layer as firmer.

Firm Support — Amerisleep AS2 Mattress

Queen size Amerisleep AS2 mattress

The Amerisleep AS2 Mattressis the second-firmest mattress model from Amerisleep. It’s also their most popular model, and for good reason: It has a medium firmness level that adapts well to multiple types of sleepers, which is useful if back pain dictates a particular position for you. I found it to give excellent spinal support, keeping users aligned throughout the night. It also features several design features — including a Celliant® cover — to help sleepers stay cool all night.

Athletes — Bear Mattress

Queen size Bear mattress

The Bear Mattresswas designed with the needs of athletes in mind, so its construction makes several nods toward muscular comfort and recovery. Our testers found it to be in the medium firmness range, hedging toward the firmer side. And the layers of the Bear get progressively firmer from top to bottom, allowing the mattress to contour to your body without collapsing. This helps keep the sleeper feeling supported and aligned.

Lower Back Pain — Saatva Mattress

The Saatva Mattresscan support sleepers who suffer from lower back pain where they need it most. A mattress that is too soft can leave sleepers — especially lower back pain sufferers — to far “in” the layers, which can cause stress and discomfort over the course of a night. The hips and lower back especially need support to keep from sinking too far in, and Saatva’s hedge toward the firmer side is a good indicator of its overall solid support. Saatva also features two layers of coils and a European style pillow top, which means a traditional supportive feel with a soft top layer to give a bit of comfort without collapsing on itself.

Upper Back Pain — Leesa Mattress

Support while sitting on the edge of the Leesa mattress

TheLeesa Mattresscould be an excellent choice for those who suffer from upper back pain and tightness. The Leesa exhibits incredibly consistent pressure relief, even for side sleepers, which is somewhat rare among mattress models. This consistent level of support throughout can help keep the entire back — and not just the lower back — feeling supported and aligned while sleeping.

Made from a blend of proprietary foam, memory foam, and high-density poly foam, the Leesa Mattress offers a softly balanced feel that's great for a wide range of sleepers! Enjoy $130 off your purchase with our exclusive discount!

Memory Foam for Back Pain — Nest Bedding Alexander Signature

Showing the foam layers of the Alexander Signature Series

The Nest Bedding Alexander Signaturefeatures four layers of foam, including gel memory foam and high density poly foam. While memory foam mattresses might have a reputation for not giving enough support, the Alexander’s layering is squarely in the medium firmness range. It gives a great contouring and initially soft feel that relieves pressure, while the base layer helps ensure the sleeper doesn’t sink too far into the mattress, which could put the spine out of alignment.

Value Mattress for Back Pain – Layla

The Layla is a flippable mattress consisting of four layers and uses memory foam in the comfort layers of both the firm and soft sides to provide pressure relief. The soft side allows you to sink really far into the Layla, which is great for side sleepers who need room for their shoulders to sink into a mattress to ensure spinal alignment. The firm side of the mattress, probably better for back and stomach sleepers, still allows you to sink in a bit for a bit of contouring feeling, before quickly transitioning to high density poly foam support for your back.

Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Mattress for Back Pain

Support for Lower Back Pain

Note: Sleepopolis is not written by doctors or medical professions and cannot provide medical advice. Consult your doctor for specific recommendations on how to best manage your sleep conditions.

Lower back pain is a real part of the nightly routine for many sleepers. Going to sleep shouldn’t mean added pressure to your back, so it’s crucial to find a mattress that has good support. I’m by no means a doctor, but below are some of my thoughts and tips when picking a mattress with back pain relief in mind.

It’s important to note that support and firmness are not the same. You can have a soft mattress that still has great support. By the same token just because a mattress is firm doesn’t mean it is supportive. Adequate support results from a mattress that keeps your spine in alignment, while also remaining comfortable.

Comfort is just as important as spinal alignment. If the mattress creates pressure points on your back or elsewhere, you’re likely to experience pain or discomfort during the night, invalidating the benefits from the mattress support level.

Back pain can result from many causes, a supportive and quality mattress can help resolve many issues.

When you lie on a mattress your spine should be aligned and supported, while also providing appropriate comfort.

Ideal Back Pain Firmness & Feel

Firmness is the initial feel of the mattress. Firmer mattresses tend to “float” the sleeper more on top of the sleeping surface. As opposed to softer mattresses that allow the sleeper to sink into the mattress, providing deeper hug and body contouring.

The best mattress for back pain will likely have a firmness in the 5-7 range out of 10 (where 10 is the most firm)

Most back sleepers need and prefer a mattress that is in the medium to slightly firm firmness range. This means about a 5-7 out of 10 on the firmness scale (where 10 is the most firm). This medium level of firmness strikes an ideal balance of necessary push-back type support, while still remaining soft enough to offer comfort and remove pressure points on the sleeper.

That said, some sleepers will find that a softer mattress is better for their back. Depending on your sleeping style, softer mattresses may provide more consistent alignment along your spine, which leads to less pressure and less aches. This is usually the case for lighter sleepers. Lighter sleepers typically try to steer away from the firmer mattresses because firm might mean too much of a floating feeling, exacerbating lower back problems.

Back Pain Pressure Point Prevention

Pressure points created between your body and a mattress is one of the most important areas to pay attention to when suffering from back pain. Typically, pressure points mean there is more push back around one specific area which tends to cause misalignment along your body and spine. As your body moves out of alignment, more pressure is placed on your spine, leading to unwanted back pains.

Therefore, it’s important to make sure you are not sleeping on a mattress that places pressure on any of your major joints. By doing so, your body is able to rest in a relaxed state and the chance of pressure points along the spine and lower back are dramatically diminished.

The wrong firmness can create spinal issues and pressure points.

What Causes Back Pain?

Nearly 80% of sleepers will encounter some sort of lower back pain during their lifetime. While not everyone is affected the same by these pains, we all need to make sure we are paying attention to them, as they may become worse over time if left unaddressed. The renowned Mayo Clinic breaks down back pain into two primary categories:

Back pain can come on suddenly and last less than six weeks (acute), which may be caused by a fall or heavy lifting. Back pain that lasts more than three months (chronic) is less common than acute pain.

Your specific back pain causes, needs, desires, age, and other factors will likely change the mattress types that are best suited to you. Below are a few of the primary causes of back pain and lower back pain.

Stress & Anxiety

Stress is probably the most common cause of back pain. Although it is hard to measure the level of stress an individual is under, several studies have shown that stress causes a lack of sleep. This lack of sleep means more tossing and turning throughout the night. The more you toss and turn, the more susceptible you are to pulling a muscle, or worse yet, falling asleep in a position that your body is not used to.

Stress can impact sleep, 1 in 3 American’s suffer from insomnia

Additionally, less sleep opens up the door for muscles to strain more easily. If you’re tired and do not receive the proper amount of sleep your body needs, your muscles have to work extra hard during the day, which could lead to lower back issues. Once these lower back issues take place, the stress circles back around and leads to a never ending cycle.

Simple solutions to stress related back pains are as follows; it’s best to consult with your healthcare professional if you experience chronic pain in any way, especially back pain:

Massages – these will release the built up stress and provide a better night’s sleep

Eat healthy – a well balanced diet leads to better sleep and less stress. In addition, reducing caffine and sugar intake can help reduce stress as it maintains a clearer thought process

Exercise – Exercising helps to pump your endorphins (releasing them) which leads to more pep in your step and a reduced level of stress

Get enough sleep – most importantly, get enough sleep. Sleep is one of the biggest and most influential factors affecting stress levels. Make sure you allocate enough time to fully rest and recover each night.

Strained Muscles

Back pain, especially lower back pain, can result from a number of different causes. However, the cause is generally related to muscle strain or directly within the lumbar disc itself. This can result from heavy lifting, sudden movements, or other twists and movements. In any case, you’ll want to consult with your doctor before making a decision on your mattress.

Your specific medical needs may make a particular firmness level or material type better suited to directly targeting your back pain problems. However, only your doctor can fully advise you on the specifics therein.

Abnormal Spinal Curvature

Sleeping, sitting, standing, it doesn’t matter. If you’re spine is abnormally aligned due to poor posture, you will more than likely encounter lower back pain.

With three different regions along the spine, each of them should be properly supported to help avoid back pain as a whole. The spinal regions and their importance are broken down below:

Cervical – this is the top third of your spine. This section works to support your head, which is where pillows and sleeping style come into play.

Thoracic – the thoracic section makes up the middle third of your spine. The center of your spine works to support the upper body.

Lumbar – lumbar is known as the bottom third of your spine. As the lower section of your spine, the lumbar supports our lower backs and can be considered the foundation of our back.

Good posture can help to improve most back problems. Just be sure to always remember that the three sections of your spine are trying to work together. If we place pressure on one section, the other two have to work extra hard.

Sleep Disorders

Many back sleepers suffer from snoring, sleep apnea, or other breathing related issues. This is caused by a strained airway, which can result from poor support in a mattress. When your back is properly supported, air can flow freely into your lungs, reducing snoring and potentially minimizing the effects of other breathing related sleep conditions.

Several other sleeping disorders also play a large role on back pain. If you’d like to read up on more of these disorders, they can be found at the Sleepopolis Education center.

Comfort & Cooling

By improving your airflow management you’ll also improve overall oxygenation of the body. Better oxygenated cells result in better internal temperature regulation (which is important if you ever feel you sleep hot during the night). This will help to reduce lower back pain, muscle pain, and other body pain directly by improving blood flow and cell regeneration.

Certain fabrics and materials have also been shown to improve oxygenation, most notably, Celliant fibers (which are used in a handful of mattress covers, including Bear and Amerisleep).

How Adjustable Foundations Can Reduce Back Pain Pressure

Adjustable foundations can be a great option for back sleepers since they can conform to a variety of sleeping positions. Elevating the head and foot of the mattress helps to relieve pressure points along your back. Additionally, elevating parts of your body can increase blood flow and ease breathing (and less snoring), both of which will result in reduced back pain, better internal temperature regulation, and improved restfulness.

The major cons of an adjustable foundation simply come down to the price tag and aesthetics. Needless to say, these types of foundations aren’t cheap. Additionally, some adjustable foundations may have a less-than-ideal aesthetic in the room. They can be quite large.

Many newer adjustable are starting to look sleeker and better designer

Despite the negatives of price and aesthetics, an adjustable foundation can be one of the best investments to your sleep and health you can make.

If you’ve been sleeping on an older mattress I would recommend first correcting the mattress. A good mattress on a traditional bed frame will make a significant difference to your sleep and lower back pain. However, if after changing mattresses you are still experiencing back pain you may want to consider investing in an adjustable foundation.

Mattress Recommendations for Back Pain & Lower Back Pain

Sleepopolis recommends the following mattresses for back sleepers and those who suffer from lower back pain. The following mattresses:

Provide great support

Have a medium to medium firm feel (usually 5-7 out of 10 on the firmness scale)

Have a slight to moderate body contour and hug; provides comfort and improves support for your back

Have a good to exceptional level of deep compression support; provides consistent support for both light and heavy sleepers.

The Casper uses an all foam construction to provide a mattress with a medium firmness. The mattress combines layers of responsive foam with memory foam for a good mix of support and comfort in multiple positions.

Helix is a bed in a box that customizes a hybrid construction based on your responses to questions on their website. They take feel preference, support need, temperature regulation and point elasticity into account for the construction and can also build queen size mattresses and above with split constructions if you and your partner have different sleep preferences.

Uses a combination of foam and a proprietary hyper-elastic polymer comfort layer that is formed into a grid structure. This unique layer provides an even mix of support and pressure relief and has temperature regulating benefits as well.

The AS2 is the second firmest in Amerisleep's line and uses a 2 inch layer of memory foam to provide comfort. There is a bit of a contouring feel but minimal sinkage so the sleeper can change positions easily.

The Bear mattress uses a graphite infused gel memory foam comfort layer to provide the classic memory foam feel, while helping to dissipate body heat to help sleep a bit cooler. The mattress uses a celliant blend in its cover, which is a material that some studies suggest can help with recovery.

Coil on coil design creates a bouncy and supportive mattress. The Saatva also includes a euro-style pillowtop for pressure relief, and a high density poly foam edge support layer, which strengthens the side of the mattress allowing you to sleep all the way to the edge of the bed without worrying about collapsing the side.

The Leesa has an avena foam comfort layer over a layer of memory foam. Placing the avena foam over the memory foam gives the mattress some bounce while allowing the sleeper to sink in for pressure relief, so it defends against the feeling of being stuck in the mattress.

Back Pain Mattress Shopping & Final Remarks

In some cases, you may find great deals that are “too good to be true”. Be wary of these low prices. Many times, these mattresses are made with inferior materials or practices that will eventually lead to sagging or other deterioration over time. Although slight, even a 0.5″ sag in a mattress can cause lower back pain and more restless nights. This is of critical importance, because most mattress warranties only cover sagging past 1.5″. Better warranties, including many of the mattresses above, cover sag depths of 1.0″ or greater.

There are many great options when looking for the perfect mattress to relieve that stubborn back pain. By focusing your search around mattresses that specifically target the attributes most needed by back sleepers you can find the mattress that best suits your needs. No two sleepers are alike, so be sure to choose a mattress that is right for you.

Sleepopolis is not written by doctors or medical professions and cannot provide medical advice. Consult your doctor for specific recommendations on how to best manage your sleep conditions.

Logan is the content director of Sleepopolis, which means he not only reviews new mattresses every week, but also curates all the comparisons, best of pages, and video guides on the site. He takes a straightforward, honest approach to his reviews and endeavors to give viewers an objective look at each new product he tries out. Logan’s perfected his method over the course of personally testing over 100 different mattresses, so he’s not only able to discern the overall vibe of a specific bed, but to contextualize its feel within the bed-in-a-box market as a whole. Needless to say, his sleep knowledge runs deep, and he loves nothing more than sharing that knowledge with his readers. When he’s not hopping on a new bed or working with our editorial team to whip up an engaging sleep education guide, you can find him reading books on world history, walking his dog Pepper, or searching for the best cheeseburger in New York City.

3 thoughts on “Best Mattress for Back Pain”

I have tried all three mattresses Saatva makes, from soft to firm. They all murdered my back. The softest was immediately bad. I am now on the firm, and I wake up feeling like I was in a car wreck. My lower back and all up my spine is just *screaming.* I think the problem is the pillowtop…it’s just plain too gooshy. It’s not actually supportive. A top-of-the-line topper didn’t help in the slightest (and if it was too hard, it probably would). When I sleep on my kids’ crappy ikea spring mattress there is no issue whatsoever. The pillowtop “feature” of Saatva mattresses are remarkably deceiving.

Going to try an Avocado next, and if that fails I’ll just get a stupid Beautyrest like the rest of the world and pray that’s enough.

Mattress Reviews

The Sleepopolis team is a group of sleep enthusiasts that will bring you the latest reviews, news, and analysis on all things sleep. Originally Sleepopolis started with mattress reviews, but we have big plans to expand going forward! We’re so grateful to you (our readers) for taking the time to appreciate our hard work, and we hope that we repay you by helping you best tackle the most important (and often least thought-about) 8 hours of the day.

Mattress Coupons

About Us

Hello, welcome to Sleepopolis! This site is dedicated to bringing you the most comprehensive sleep-industry information on the web. You’ll find everything from mattress reviews to sleep tips. We want to help you get the best night’s sleep ever! Head over to our About page to learn more about the team behind Sleepopolis.